Oath of Penance

Paladins of the Oath of Penance are set on a difficult path, as it calls to those who have done wrong, those whose moral compass has shattered. You have hit rock bottom, the severity of your sins is too much to bear, and you have, as such, taken a path to atonement.

Gods may help in this endeavour, but they demand you’re worthy of redemption and are actually seeking it. This path isn’t about pacifism, as violence can be used for good depending on who you ask, it’s about forgiveness and justice. 

It’s an oath that, while it is plagued with idealists, isn’t plagued with fools. Redeemers know that undead, demons, devils, and other supernatural threats can be too evil to redeem. Against such foes, the paladins bring the full wrath of their weapons and spells to bear. Yet the redeemers still pray that, one day, even creatures of wickedness will invite their own redemption.

Tenets of Penance

Innocence. All people begin life in an innocent state, and it is their environment or the influence of dark forces that drives them to evil. By setting the proper example, and working to heal the wounds of a deeply flawed world, you can set anyone on a righteous path.

Patience. Change takes time. Those who have walked the path of the wicked must be given reminders to keep them honest and true. Once you have planted the seed of righteousness in a creature, you must work day after day to allow it to survive and then flourish.

Honesty. The road of redemption must first start with admitting your sins and owning your actions, to then right the wrongs you’ve committed and try and get forgiveness from others, but also from yourself. 

Oath Spells

You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed in the Oath of Penance Spells table.

Paladin Level	Spells
3rd	sanctuary, sleep
5th	hold person, silence
9th	dispel magic, hypnotic pattern
13th	resilient sphere, stoneskin
17th	hold monster, wall of force

Repentant Strikes

Beginning when you first take your oath at 3rd level, you’ve become adept at forgiving those who have dealt harm. You can choose to do nonlethal damage with any damage you deal.

Channel Divinity

When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.

Rebuke the Vile. You can use your Channel Divinity to rebuke the vile. Immediately after an attacker within 30 feet of you deals damage with an attack against a creature other than you, you can use your reaction to force the attacker to make a Wisdom saving throw, expending your Channel Divinity. On a failed save, the attacker takes radiant damage equal to the damage it just dealt. On a successful save, it takes half as much damage.

Emissary of Peace. You can use your Channel Divinity to see the true intent of the creatures you interact with and compel them alike. As an action, you grant yourself a +5 bonus to Wisdom (Insight) and Charisma(Persuasion)  checks for 10 minutes, expending your Channel Divinity.

Aura of Sacrifice

Starting at 7th level, you can shield your allies from harm at the cost of your own health. When a creature within 10 feet of you takes damage, you can magically take that damage, instead of that creature taking it (no action required). This feature doesn't transfer any other effects that might accompany the damage, and this damage can't be reduced in any way.

At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Crushing Guilt

At 15th level, as a reaction to taking damage, you can give yourself vulnerability to the damage. If you do so the creature who dealt the damage takes an equal amount of the total damage dealt to you as psychic damage and must succeed on a Charisma saving throw.

On a failed save, they are forced to their knees, knocked prone, and their speed is reduced to 0 for up to 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of its turn, and the effect also ends if the creature takes damage. Once you use this feature you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest. 

Avatar of Redemption

At 20th level, you can become an avatar of redemption for up to 10 minutes as an action, gaining the following benefits for 10 minutes.

• Creature's within 30 ft of you cannot speak a deliberate lie.
• You have resistance to all damage dealt by other creatures (their attacks, spells, and other effects).
• Whenever a creature damages you, it takes radiant damage equal to half the amount it dealt to you.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.